Sapir Academic College

The Sapir College ( Hebrew: המכללה האקדמית ספיר, HaMikhlela HaAkademit Sapir ), named after Pinchas Sapir, is a facility located in Sha'ar Hanegev Israeli county college, with approximately 7480 students. Of which (as of May 2010) are currently 5290 enrolled in academic bachelor and master studies. 2190 students through a non-academic associate degree program. Thus, the Sapir College is the largest public college of Israel. In academic skills development to work closely with the Ben- Gurion University in Beersheba, together, where students can perform with a bachelor's degree subsequent master's degree.

In the 12 departments 100 high school teachers are permanent. In addition, teach some 950 external lecturers in the various subjects. The staff-student ratio of professors to students can be regarded as very good. In Germany, the Sapir College has entered into in December 2005 with the University of Trier an academic partnership. Since the autumn of 2008, the Sapir College is also represented by two volunteer representatives in Germany.

Divisions

The Sapir College has 12 departments. These are:

• Communication Sciences ( B. A. )
• Film ( B. A. )
• Personnel Management ( B. A. )
• Social Work ( B. A. )
• Administrative Sciences ( B. A., M. A. )
• Logistics ( B. A. )
• Business Administration ( B. A. )
• Social Sciences ( B. A. )
• Industrial Management ( B. A. )
• Computer science ( B. A. )
• Technology Management ( B. A. )
• Engineering ( 1st year only )

In planning, four other courses and faculties for the coming years. Such plans have already been submitted to the University Council for Israeli academic recognition. The new faculties are:

• Mass communication media ( M. A. )
• Nursing and health sciences ( B. A. )
• Laws ( LL.B. )
• Free art ( B. A. )

In addition, 10 non-academic courses at the " School of Practical Engineering" are located. These are:

• Architecture and Interior Design
• Biotechnology
• Media Technology
• Film and television technology
• Communication technology
• Sound equipment
• Electronics
• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial Management
• Software Systems and Computer Engineering

In addition, there are no academic art school as well as the " Sapir Tech" called center for distance learning and language courses.

History

The history of the Sapir College can be traced back to the year 1963. The humble beginnings with a few simple buildings of an abandoned after the Suez crisis military base on a hill near the border with Gaza were in a night school for adult education. Those in charge of the district Sha'ar Hanegev quickly recognized the need for a qualitative expansion and settled early in the buildings of the College 's High School in, where you could take advantage of the evening empty classrooms.

The early move of the College made ​​it possible to expand the range of courses in close collaboration with the Open University of Israel is under construction. At this time, the first contacts to also still young Ben- Gurion University were established in Beersheba, which itself had yet to build its profile as a complex -oriented teaching and research institution in the 1960s. Both institutions, the Sapir College as well as the Ben- Gurion University were thereby aware of your outstanding importance for the development of the southern parts of the country.

In the early 1970s, started 15 local authorities, including the Bedouin minority in the Israeli Negev under the auspices of the district Sha'ar Hanegev an initiative for the long -term establishment of a regional university, which should serve to tertiary education and training of the residents of the northern Negev.

Already mid -1970s recognized the Jewish Agency, the importance of regional universities that formed in development zones away from the centers of the country. This allowed the resistance of the established higher education institutions in the country to be broken, which had slowed down over the years the development and financing of the new colleges.

In 1975 created the then chairman of the Jewish Agency, Arieh Dulzin, a connection between the College and the Association " Zionist Workers' Party ( Poalei Zion ) in New York as well as the Zionist youth organization in Paris. The foundation stone was laid for a center for technical education through donations of these two organizations, from which the later division has emerged for Applied Engineering Science. Early 1980s was founded a Department of Communication Sciences, which formed the academic core of the later so-called Sapir College.

The next turning point in the high school history was the early 1990s with the wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union. Thousands of young people aimed at an academic education, those established institutions were unable to cope. During this period, the Israeli government under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Culture Minister Amnon Rubinstein decided to strengthen regional colleges rather than to build more universities. On the occasion of this decision and the so-called student village in Ibbim was built around 400 students live with immigration background today in the. Through the establishment of the student village by the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency, the Sapir College end of the 1990s had finally established itself as a leading institution of higher education between Ashdod on the Mediterranean and Beersheba in the Negev desert and between Kiryat Gat in the east and the Eshkol settlements in the Southwest. In the region of a million inhabitants, of whom about 120,000 Bedouins live.

Student body

Around 10 % of students are of Arab origin, which in turn 95% native to the Negev Bedouin families originate. 31% of students Sha'ar Hanegev comes from the neighboring districts and the city of Sderot, which directly adjoins the campus. 39 % of students comes from the south of Israel, and the remaining 30% from Greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the North. The number of new walkers ( Olim ) among the students is very high percentage. 300 students (mainly from Ethiopia) are only a maximum of 5 years in Israel, another 600 5-15 years. For new immigrants, a special language course ( Ulpan ) is offered.

Campus

The campus is located in Ibbim, near the town of Sderot. In addition to the departmental buildings located there is the central library of over 150,000 titles, including a student dormitory canteen and cafeteria, and the university administration. But also central institutions of the circle Sha'ar Hanegev can be found there, such as the nationally known hydrotherapy center, the regional senior center, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional the School ( high school and elementary school), two sports halls, and a large sports field. Also on campus is the studio and the towers of Radio Kol Hanegev that. "Voice of the Negev ", which is broadcast on the frequency 106.4 MHz in the entire north-western Negev

A major problem for the university are the appropriate safety measures based on the fired by terrorists from the nearby Gaza Strip to Israel and Qassam Katjuscharaketen. The Government undertakes the Sapir College to make sure all building rockets. To this end, in recent years, large investments were needed and still lead to an acute shortage of space, because the works are not yet completed.

Rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip

In 2007, about 1,050 rockets and mortar shells were fired at the area around the Sapir College from the Gaza Strip. At Sapir College, a student was killed and several injured. Many suffer from post-traumatic symptoms and are managed by the psychological service of the university. Three buildings of the College were damaged by rocket attacks and 45 % of the building area may not be used due to the need to conclude safeguards. Due to the difficult security situation occurred in 2008 in a significantly lower number of new enrollments for the coming academic year, especially foreign students. Further information about the rocket attacks are to be found in the article about the town of Sderot.